This $300 Motorola has a better display and battery life than iPhone 16e – at half the price

Motorola’s Moto G Power is the sibling to the 2025 Moto G, a solid mid-tier smartphone that I reviewed not too long ago. The variant is not a huge upgrade over the base device. The two share many similarities, with only a handful of differences. But those small changes were enough to make me enjoy the Power model more than the standard.

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One of the problems I had with the standard Moto G is that it’s meant to be a “pocket-sized theater.” I never felt it reached those heights. The Moto G Power, on the other hand, does. It has a slightly larger screen measuring 6.8 inches that outputs a Full HD+ image resolution (2,388 x 1,080 pixels). By comparison, the Moto G has a 6.7-inch HD+ display (1,604 x 720 pixels). Both screens run at a 120Hz refresh rate.

Durable and eye-catching

Watching movies and playing mobile games was a better experience on the Moto G Power. In addition to the higher resolution screen enabling immersive action, the phone also has the same powerful sound system present on the base phone. Combined with these two aspects, this mobile device actually felt like a pocket-sized theater.

An interesting design flourish of Motorola’s phone is its durability. It has a water resistance rating of IP69, meaning the device can survive brief submersion. Granted, no one would willingly take their phone underwater (at least, I hope not), but it’s a feature that comes in handy if the Moto G Power ever falls in the pool.

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I can’t forget to mention the eye-catching Leaf Green color. The vibrant hue matches up quite nicely with the black camera array, giving the phone a militaristic look. Speaking of the cameras, the rear lenses consist of a 50MP main sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide angle option.

User-friendly camera

Photographs look great overall. The camera array captures high amounts of detail in images, and the colors are nicely vibrant. I am a big fan of the camera app’s menu. The UI isn’t that different from the interfaces on other smartphones, but there’s something about the layout that makes tweaking the settings fun and easy.

Key features are laid out well, with clear indicators of what they do. Sometimes, they activate automatically. A switch to turn on Night Vision appears whenever the rear sensor detects poor lighting conditions. It was a nice touch; however, the system struggles under low-light environments — pictures look grainy.

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For people who want to flex their creative muscles, a series of image filters are available by tapping the three-circle icon near the bottom. Below is an image taken under the Film filter and a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Performance that’s just good enough

Inside the Moto G Power is a MediaTek Dimensity 6300, the same chipset as its predecessor, although it’s supported by 8GB of RAM, which is “expandable up to 24GB with RAM Boost.” I immediately noticed the superior performance. Animations in intensive games like Honkai Star Rail were smoother. Stuttering was less of an issue, but the title was still plagued by poor graphical resolution.

Solid battery

Both Moto G models run a 5,000mAh battery, allowing users to enjoy a multi-day charge. However, the Moto G Power has a shorter battery life. During my testing period, the phone lasted for about three days straight before tapping out. By comparison, the base Moto G eclipsed its counterpart by a full day. What surprised me about these runtimes is that I used the Power phone less often, so I figured it would last longer. Yet, it didn’t.

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Recharge times were slower, too. Instead of 30 minutes, it took over 45 minutes for the phone’s battery to reach 50%. That isn’t slow per se, but again, it is when compared to the other model. Still, gaining a multi-day battery life is about an hour, which is praiseworthy, make no mistake.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Motorola Moto G Power is on sale for $300 at Amazon. I recommend this mobile device to people who want a solid camera and a mini home theater system. These two features allow the phone to punch well above its weight class. Thanks to its durability, it’s a good option to take with you if you frequently travel. However, if you value battery longevity above all else, check out the base Moto G.